


You Can Leave Your Hat On

by Vidriana



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff, Knitted Headwear Discourse, M/M, slight Matchmaker Willy Nylander, soft Rookies in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 19:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8857525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vidriana/pseuds/Vidriana
Summary: Before Auston can ask what’s going on, Mo calls, "They’re not fucking beanies! We’re in Canada! They’re called toques!" across the room.   “Well I’m not fucking Canadian, and where I’m from we call them beanies," Jake responds with a smirk. The Toronto Maple Leafs weigh in on the Beanie vs Toque debate.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing in the Hockey Fandom so please be gentle. This was entirely inspired by my friend's amusement that there was an actual debate on proper hat terminology. This is just a way for me (and hopefully you as well!) to have fun with the topic, so please note that I don't feel particularly strongly either way.
> 
> All the thanks in the world to my wonderful beta [Dell](https://squashyicebabies.tumblr.com/). You always make writing so much fun and make my brain come up with the weirdest stuff.
> 
> The title is the song by Joe Cocker, because I couldn't help myself, even though one in this fic actually has sex. With or without a hat.

It all starts with Jake and Mo, as a lot of the Leafs’ locker room debates do, and it’s completely on purpose.

Auston already knows something’s about to happen when Jake, who’s usually at the other side of the room, leans on the locker next to Auston’s and with a raised voice says "You know, I can’t wait for our Centennial Classic Beanies, they’re gonna look sick!"

On Auston’s other side, Bozie lets out a long-suffering sigh and Naz mutters "Oh, not again," under his breath. Before Auston can ask what’s going on, Mo calls, "They’re not fucking beanies! We’re in Canada! They’re called toques!" across the room. 

“Well I’m not fucking Canadian, and where I’m from we call them beanies," Jake responds with a smirk. "Right, JvR?" he adds, looking at James, who’s just taking off his jersey a couple seats down.

“Hey, leave me out of it, I got nothing to do with this," is the only response, while James keeps stripping off his gear in front of his stall.

“That’s right, Jake, you’re on your own," Morgan laughs. "You’re alone in enemy territory and you’re also wrong," he adds, obviously delighted. 

Ben, who obviously hasn’t been with the team long enough to know better, hesitantly says, "I mean, I call them beanies too?" and it sounds way too much like a question for the way the whole locker room seems to explode into a shouting match right after he finishes speaking.

“See," Jake yells. "It’s our word, we can call them beanies if we want to!"

“Not when they’re from a Canadian team though!" Mo complains. "Wear a fucking Badgers beanie, no one cares, but a Maple Leafs toque is called a toque, because it’s Canadian!"

“Yeah," Mitch chimes in, because there isn’t an argument he can stay out of, especially when it’s about something related to his beloved home country. "Leafs toques are toques. I should know, I’ve had one since I was a kid," he adds, and that starts a wave of chirping about Mitch still being a little fan at heart. He doesn’t seem to mind though. In fact, he seems to be glowing under the attention, straightening his back, his cheeks turning an attractive shade of pink. Auston would like to touch them and see if they’re as warm as they look. He’s been having that problem for a while now and it doesn’t seem to want to go away.

Jake apparently isn’t willing to let the argument die that easily though, because he grasps Auston’s shoulder and demands, "Come on, man. You agree with me, right? We’re outnumbered here, we gotta stick together."

Auston has never felt particularly strongly about the appropriate term for knitted headwear, but looking at Mitch across the room and how delighted he looks at the discussion, he suddenly feels very strongly that they should definitely keep arguing. "They’re beanies though," he says, with a conviction he doesn’t really feel. "That’s just what we call them."

“You don’t count, you’re from the fucking desert," Matt says. "No wonder you have weird words for hockey stuff." Which sparks another debate about just who exactly is qualified to determine what the Real Hockey Terms actually are.

“This is so dumb," Bozie mumbles, still sitting next to Auston, but having apparently managed to change first, while everyone else was busy. "I can’t believe this is happening again."

“This happened before?" Auston asks and Naz snorts.

“It happens every year, since these two,"—he points at Jake and Mo, who now seem to be pushing each other while they’re arguing—"have been on the team. If you ask me, fighting about pointless stuff is like foreplay for them."

Between them Bozie groans. "Oh god, I don’t want to think about that. There’s things I don’t need to know about my teammates, thank you very much." And with that he grabs his towel and heads off to the showers. 

Naz just laughs at him and continues undressing before following him, but Auston can’t help looking at Jake and Mo. They’re still fighting, but it’s more teasing now than actual arguing, as far as he can tell, and even though they’re shoving at each other, their hands seem to linger much longer than necessary now that he’s paying attention. 

“Hey," a voice to Auston’s right says, and he looks up to find Willy standing there with only a towel around his waist and looking impatient. "You actually gonna take off your gear, or you just gonna stare at your boy for a bit longer?"

Auston blushes, because Mitch is sitting right next to Jake and Mo’s argument, chiming in occasionally, still flushed and smiling and it’s not a stretch to assume Auston has been looking at him instead. "He’s not my—" Auston starts, but Willy just waves him off dismissively. 

“I know that, but he could be. If you finally got your shit together and told him you’re interested, at least," and then, like he hasn’t just shaken up Auston’s worldview, he saunters off to the showers as well. 

After hastily stripping off the rest of his gear, he rushes through his shower, determined not to think any more about what that might mean until he’s home. 

__________

Later, while sitting in the car with Mitch and listening to him sing along to the radio, Auston can’t stop thinking about it. Because Willy sounded so sure, like there isn’t a single doubt in his mind that Mitch would be interested, if Auston just asked him. He knows he’s being weird (he hasn’t complained about the singing yet, for one) and he knows that Mitch has noticed and it’s only a matter of time before he’s going to ask what’s wrong, but his head keeps spinning and he can’t get his thoughts in order. 

They’re almost at their apartment building when Mitch finally has enough, turns off the radio and looks at Auston. "What’s wrong?" he asks, looking concerned. "You’re being quiet."

Auston sighs. Of course Mitch is a good friend, he probably wouldn’t have this problem if he wasn’t. "It’s nothing," he starts, but changes his mind when he sees Mitch’s face fall. That kid has no poker face and Auston can’t stand seeing him sad, even for a second. "It’s just something Willy said," he adds, but doesn’t know how to continue. Mitch is starting to look a little nervous now and Auston doesn’t know what to do, so he falls back on the main locker room topic. "I just don’t get why it’s so important to you that it’s called a toque," he says with a slight grin. "I mean, why not just call it a beanie, like the rest of the world? You Canadians are always so difficult."

Mitch makes a vaguely offended noise, but he’s grinning as well when he starts off on a rant about the importance of having their own words for things and other people respecting that. 

He’s still going when they reach their building and keeps talking while they take the elevator up to their floor. Auston can’t stop looking at him. He kind of gets why arguing might work as foreplay for Jake and Mo. Seeing Mitch gesture wildly with his hands and turn progressively more pink the more worked up he gets with his rant is a very appealing sight. Auston wants to touch him, wants to kiss him. They’re almost at Mitch’s apartment now.

When they reach the door Mitch is still talking and Auston desperately doesn’t want him to leave. When Mitch turns to him, probably to say goodbye, Auston does the only thing he can think of. After all, Willy had been so sure, and so Auston reaches out to gently grasp Mitch’s chin, tilt his head up and press their lips together. Mitch makes a shocked little noise, but doesn’t even hesitate before grabbing Auston’s shoulders and kissing him back. 

It’s not a passionate kiss, their lips are just moving against each other for a few moments, before Auston lets go of Mitch’s chin and takes a small step back. Mitch sways into his space a bit, like he wants to follow Auston, before he also takes a step back and skeptically catches Auston’s eye.

"Did you just kiss me to shut me up?" he asks, slightly exasperated, and Auston can’t help but laugh a little. Mitch continues with, "Because I feel like I should be offended, but, you know, if that’s all it takes to get you to kiss me I’m never shutting up again. And I already talk a lot anyway," and the tight feeling in Auston’s chest that he hasn’t even been aware of until that moment just melts away, replaced by a warm, glowing happiness. 

“I kinda always want to kiss you, whether you’re talking too much or not," Auston admits. "I just wasn’t sure if you wanted me to." 

Mitch’s answering smile is blinding and he lifts up on his toes to press another kiss to Auston’s mouth. Before Auston can do anything to respond though, Mitch breaks off, laughing. "We’re literally making out right in front of my apartment like the teenagers we are. Bozie would be so amused.”

Auston wants to argue that two chaste kisses hardly count as making out and that he really would like to avoid thinking of Bozie right now, but Mitch turns around to unlock his frontdoor. 

“What I meant," he starts with a smirk, "is that we should be making out like teenagers inside my apartment. Because unlike others our age, I actually have one all on my own.”

Auston can’t find anything wrong with that statement, and lets Mitch pull him into his home.

__________

Later when they’re lazily spread out across the couch, their clothes rumpled and their lips swollen, Mitch’s neck covered in hickeys and watching a movie, Mitch suddenly sits up. 

“Hold on," he says like he just had an important revelation; "does that mean you don’t actually care about the toque debate?”

Auston bursts out laughing and has to hide his face in one of the couch cushions that somehow wasn’t kicked off during their make-out session. 

Mitch pokes him in the thigh and squawks, "Hey, this is important! I explained to you why it’s important and you didn’t even listen! Hey, Auston, listen to me!" But Auston just keeps laughing into his couch cushion, not a single care about toques or beanies or whatever they might be called elsewhere.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little fic! If you feel like talking about soft hockey boys with me, please come say hi on [Tumblr](https://vidrianah.tumblr.com)


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